I do not know what else to do: caregivers’ perspective on reassurance seeking in OCD

Halldorsson, B., Salkovskis, P. M., Kobori, O. and Pagdin, R. (2016) I do not know what else to do: caregivers’ perspective on reassurance seeking in OCD. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 8. pp. 21-30. ISSN 2211-3649 doi: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2015.11.003

Abstract/Summary

Excessive Reassurance Seeking (ERS) is an under-researched and poorly understood behavior that resembles the compulsive behaviors that are typically seen in OCD. ERS can be complex, persistent, extensive, debilitating and may dominate people’s interactions. In addition to resembling compulsive checking in OCD it may also have the effect of transferring responsibility to others. Caregivers are frequently asked to take part in a range of rituals as part of the OCD sufferer’s problem, often seeing it as a way of supporting the sufferer. We are still in the early stages of understanding the factors that elicit and maintain these responses in caregivers. The present investigation considered the interpersonal components of ERS by applying an in-depth analysis using qualitative methods in the context of an interview of caregivers who provide reassurance to OCD sufferers. Ten interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Seven overarching themes were identified as important in the experience of being asked for and providing reassurance. These concern factors such as how people seek reassurance, how they process it, why other people give it and so on. A particularly pervasive theme was caregivers’ experience of frustration in the face of ERS. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/70127
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.jocrd.2015.11.003
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Department of Psychology Life Sciences > School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences > Anxiety and Depression in Young People (AnDY)
Publisher	Elsevier
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